Context

On average, there are three babies born deaf each day in the UK[1] and the majority are born to hearing parents, who may not have had any previous experience of deafness or using sign language as a form of communication.

All children have the right to develop language and communication so that they can achieve their potential in life. Access to their language and communication environment is key to this development. For children who are born deaf, especially into hearing families with no experience of hearing loss, early support is vital if they are to develop the language and communication skills they need to thrive. This early support is vital whether a family wishes to use sign language, spoken language or both.

According to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, Article 13[2] states that all children should have Freedom of Expression, and we know that developing effective communication skills is key to this expression. Deaf children are not currently achieving the potential they are capable of; their attainment levels are below those of their hearing peers and they are at increased risk of experiencing mental health issues, social isolation, exclusion and bullying.

FCEI International is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, worldwide network of parents, families, professionals and researchers, who are engaged in promoting and improving evidence-informed practice and research in Family-Centred Early Intervention (FCEI). They have developed ten principles of recommended good practice when providing early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), which have been split into three areas, Foundation, Support and Structure Principles.

Over the last two years, AVUK has contributed to the International Family Centred Early Intervention for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (FCEI-DHH) Consensus Panel’s review of the FCEI-DHH Principles (2024)[3], first published in 2013[4]. These principles have formed an agreed benchmark of good practice for centres delivering early intervention to families and children with hearing loss. The team at Auditory Verbal UK, along with other contributing professionals, highlighted relevant recent research as part of the review of this valuable framework of ten principles.

Principle five states that ‘families should be supported to promote their children’s language and communication development in natural, daily interactions. Early access to language, whether signed, spoken or combined, is important',[5] It explains that it is important that all children are exposed to language that is accessible to them from infancy and for the creation of a language-rich environment, they need regular and consistent exposure.

Furthermore, principle six recognises that families are diverse and should be supported to be informed-decision makers, early intervention providers should respect families and provide them with comprehensive, accurate and impartial information.

We believe that parents of deaf children should always be presented with clear information about the range of communication approaches so they are able to make an informed decision about which communication approach or approaches they would like for their child.

Considering the FCEI principles, the focus of this paper is to explore the national and international research on the effectiveness of Auditory Verbal therapy as part of an early intervention programme for deaf children. In the first instance, the paper will outline the prevalence of hearing loss in the UK, the potential impact of hearing loss on children and young people and the importance of early intervention when developing language and communication, before focussing on the outcomes of Auditory Verbal therapy.